The column is confusing. The word, "automatic weapons," "assault weapons" and "long rifle" are used.
I don't know if automatic rifles are a good idea for their situation. Automatic weapons are good for two scenarios that I can recall offhand:
* For coordinated work in groups (fire teams, for example--requires many drills) to issue a volume of fire greater than the enemy in an encounter.
* To use automatic rifles to fire bursts to stop enemies while only pointing (instead of aiming), as one would use a shotgun. ...requires thousands of rounds of practice, works at close range only, and not everyone does well at it.
Maybe teamwork drills and semi-auto issue would be wiser. Or maybe that's what the Laredo Police Department is actually doing.
Semi or fully auto?
We need The Army or the National Guard on that border.
Laredo --- isn't that where the NAFTA super highway enters Texas? We export jobs to Mexico, Mexico exports drugs, crime, and poverty to America. That's free trade?????
You know, this still won't stop a person from herding several elephants and a mariachi band across the border. It is not a matter of the weapon, but a matter of the will.